Attempts have been made to sever trees, tree sections, logs or limbs into firewood length pieces and subsequently split the short log sections into multiple firewood pieces. One such machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,061. The machine of that patent includes an endless carrier which feeds a log or tree forwardly into the path of a reciprocating guillotine type blade which severs the tree or log into short log sections of firewood length (capable of burning in a fireplace or wood stove). Whereupon, the severed firewood length log section drops into a position where a hydraulic ram drives the log section against a fixed multi-wedge multi-blade splitting element to split the severed log section into multiple pieces of firewood.
Such devices are relatively complicated, require timing in their operation, and are fairly expensive.
An earlier patent to Leo L. Heikkinen U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,651 teaches a similar device in which the log is initially severed by the utilization of a chain saw which oscillates across the path of the transported tree or log to section the log into relatively short length log sections which are then subsequently driven towards a fixed splitter assembly formed of wedges by a hydraulic ram or the like, to split the firewood length log section into firewood pieces.
The idea of utilizing a hydraulic motor as a means for effecting splitting of a log section lying in end-to-end alignment by driving a reciprocating splitting element such as multiple splitting blades into contact with the end of a relatively fixed log, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,735 to Dagenais. In this case, the four right angle cutting knives achieve a four part split lengthwise of the log sections by blade penetration lengthwise of the right angle blades through the log from one end to the other.
While this machine acts satisfactorily to achieve the splitting of end-to-end log sections into four parts or pieces, the machines require initially, that the trees or limbs be severed into firewood length log sections prior to splitting.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved dual acting mechanism for effecting simultaneously the severance of a tree limb or log into firewood length log sections and the splitting of that firewood length log section into multiple pieces by a single tool and with a simultaneous cutting and splitting action, and wherein the tool functions to automatically sever and split logs during each direction of reciprocation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved simultaneous firewood cutting and splitting machine in which the splitting action is initiated prior to the full severance of the firewood length section from the log proper and in which the number of split pieces for each firewood length log is normally in excess of two.